This can't be, but it is
by Hyacinth Shade
Summary: Sesshomaru struggles with his feelings toward Rin, who has been abducted by a demon. Should he leave her with humans, or will he keep her by his side? NOTE: I do NOT own Inuyasha. And I gave Sessh 2 arms, but you might not pick up on it.


_Damn it Rin… where are you, where did that demon take you?_

"Whatever it is you're thinking of, _Lord _Sesshomaru, it is about to lead to your downfall. And be assured, once you die, my brother and I will take all you have gained and add it to what we have, and thus rule over a great domain." The demon cackled and lunged forward, resuming its attack.

Sesshomaru, once again focusing on the fight, easily dodged it. "That is ridiculous. Filth such as you could never defeat the likes of me, Lord Sesshomaru. Now die." With one sweeping movement, Sesshomaru removed the demon's head. Since that was taken care of, he could look for Rin. Why had that demon run off with Rin? This was most troublesome. He had thought at one time, that once Rin was old enough, she would go to a human village and live amongst her own kind.

After Naraku had been defeated, he had given Rin another chance to go back and live a normal life. Building an empire would be a long task. It would be best if Rin were not with him. And there was the matter of his personal feelings towards her. She had been with him for many years, she was no longer a little girl, and he'd always protected her and watched over her. But recently, there was something more… When Rin looked at him there was something in her eyes, the way she looked at him, that made his chest hurt. Something which made it difficult to breathe. Of course, he never showed any sign of this. He did not want to develop "those" feelings for Rin. After all, it was Rin. The little orphan girl who he had revived with Tenseiga, and who had followed him ever since, little Rin who picked bouquets of wildflowers for him, that was Rin; Sesshomaru knew he should not feel this way toward her. And he did _not_ want to feel these things for her. But he did. So it would be best if she left.

However, she did not leave. Rin continued to follow him. Secretly, he was quite glad of this; Jaken and Ah-Un had been killed, and Rin leaving would have been a hard blow. And now, after all the years of protecting her from harm, she had been taken by a demon. _Damn! I can't pick up Rin's scent. What purpose did that demon have in taking her? I must find her. _But there was no trace of her; Sesshomaru could do nothing. _That doesn't matter. I will find her, and when I do, the demon that took her will curse the day it ever crossed me. _

………

In a dark cave the roaring sound of rushing water caused a lone figure to stir. "What the- where am I?"

"I see you've awaken, little human," said an awful, oily voice that filled the cave.

Shooting up, Rin yelled, "Who are you? Where is Lord Sesshomaru? Is he hurt?"

"So the little human is concerned for her Lord, eh? Well do not fear, he is safe, my brother proved unable to defeat him. As would I. That is why you will be the one to destroy him."

Rin glared. "That is a stupid plan. Lord Sesshomaru would never fall prey to such a petty scheme. And using me to do it for you… you are a coward!"

"Ho-ho, so you think me a coward, eh? Perhaps. But that does not matter, so long as Sesshomaru dies and I gain his empire. Now, give me control of your mind, let me take over your body…"

Rin felt cold. Breathing was difficult; an overwhelming pressure forced her to the ground. "Wha… what are… you doing to me?" The voice gave a high, cold laugh, and a shot of pain went through her body. Rin screamed. The demon had begun to take control over her body. _Lord Sesshomaru, please stay away. I don't want to hurt you while this demon is in control of me. If any harm came to you, I'd never… _A tear rolled down Rin's face as she lostconsciousness.

"Now I will take your body and kill Sesshomaru."

………

Sesshomaru, who had been searching the area for any trace of Rin, stood frozen. He had suddenly picked up her scent. _What is this? A trap? That doesn't matter; I will save Rin and kill the demon that took her. _He began to move toward her scent. _Just wait for me a little longer… _

Crossing meadows tinted gold with the setting sun, Sesshomaru ran with unbelievable speed. He was drawing closer to her. He came to a wooded area. His nose told him that she was just beyond it.

At last he came to a waterfall that plummeted over a cliffs edge. Rin's scent was coming from the bottom of it. _No… She can't be… No, Rin is alive. I will go and retrieve her, and leave her at a human village, as I should have done years ago._

Jumping off the cliff, Sesshomaru floated down to the pool of water at the bottom. There was no sign of Rin, but her scent was strong. He looked at the waterfall. "There is a cave behind it, and Rin is inside." Bursting through the water, Sesshomaru came into the cave. There was Rin, standing on some rocks next to a pool of water. Her damp black hair clung to her face, and her tattered kimono was practically falling off of her body. Even in such a state, she looked exquisite. _Why am I thinking that? What is wrong with me? Afterall, this is Rin… _Shaking some of the excess water off of himself, Sesshomaru glided toward Rin. "Are you alright, Rin?"

Rin laughed obnoxiously. "My Lord was worried? What a fool you are." Sesshomaru jumped back as Rin slashed at him with a dagger that had been concealed in the sleeve of her kimono.

"I see. That demon is controlling you." This presented a problem. He did not want to hurt Rin, but while the demon was in control of her, he had to fight her. _I must find where the demon is and slay it. That should free Rin from its spell. _He could not pick up its scent. _Damn… _Something occurred to him; perhaps the demon was inside of Rin. Yes, that was it. When she had laughed there had been a slight demonic presence. _Why didn't I realize that sooner? Now I am sure. After I free Rin from the demon and slay it, I will leave her with humans. I cannot keep her with me. She is a distraction to me, other demons are beginning to notice, and I do not want to put her in any more danger._

Looking at Rin, Sesshomaru smirked. "You thought that if you used that girl I would hesitate to attack. How foolish. I, Sesshomaru, do not care for anything; that human means nothing to me. And because of your foolishness, you will die." He lunged forward and slashed at Rin with his claws. She jumped out of the way. _If I can scare that demon enough, it will leave Rin's body in an attempt to escape, then I will be able to slay it. _He slashed at her once again. This time, he hit her. Her shoulder was slashed; blood began to trickle down her arm.

_Shit! I didn't want to do that! I was just aiming to scratch her… _But in hurting Rin, he had frightened the demon enough that it decided to leave her body. Rin fell to the ground as the demon took on corporeal form once more and scuttled toward the pool of water in a bid for escape. Sesshomaru, whose eyes glowed red in anger, tore the demon apart with his claws.

He bent over, and taking Rin in his arms, he called softly to her, hoping she would awaken. "Rin, I've slain the demon. You're safe now. Rin…" There was an unfamiliar note of pleading in his voice. _Wake up. You have to…for me. _"Rin, please wake up. I need you to wake up." He brushed her hair off of her face, and leaning down, kissed her forehead.

Rin made a little grunting noise. And slowly opened her eyes. Looking up, she blinked, and whispered, "Lord Sesshomaru…" He gave the slightest of smiles, though he was nearly overcome with relief that Rin was lucid and looked as if she was not in too much pain. "The demon, it got inside of me. It wanted me to kill you. I am so sorry, I could not stop myself from attacking you. Please forgive me." Her eyes were watering and her little hands clung tightly to him.

"It's fine."

"No! If I had been stronger, this wouldn't have happened. I will learn to fight, so that in the future I am not a burden to you."

_This is the last time I will see you, Rin. I can't keep you anymore. _"Do as you wish."

"Yes." Sesshomaru carried Rin out of the cave and headed toward the nearest village.

………

"Lord Sesshomaru! What are you doing! My Lord! Wait! I beg you, do not leave me!"

"It is for your own good, Rin. I deeply regret not doing this before." Sesshomaru turned and began to walk away, slowly fading into the morning mist and trees.

A few stunned villagers popped their heads out of their huts to look at what was going on. There were cries of, "A demon! A demon!" and, " Look, it's brought a girl! Is she a demon too?" Sesshomaru was now nothing more than a shadow in the mist. "She looks human, and she's hurt. Think we should help her?" But Rin had stood up and begun to walk to a stable. Climbing onto a swift looking horse, she began to ride after Sesshomaru. "Hey! That's my horse!"

"I will return it. But I must go after him." Nudging the horse's side, Rin set off at a gallop. _I must be with you, Sesshomaru! Even if you don't feel like I do, I must stay by your side. If I'm not with you, there is nothing for me!_

"What's this? Rin is following me?" Sesshomaru stopped on the edge of a clearing. _I should go. If I stay it will be a problem. _He prepared to fly off, but something stopped him. _Go! Go now! _But he could not move. Rather, he turned around to face Rin at the other side of the clearing, who had dismounted the horse and was staggering toward him. "Go back to the village. I don't want you around me anymore."

"Sesshomaru, please… don't leave me! Let me stay by you! I will learn to defend myself so that I won't be a burden to you. Just please, do not leave me!" He was struck silent. Rin had never just called him "Sesshomaru" before. He liked the way her voice sounded when she said his name without the "Lord." Rin dropped to her knees, with tears streaming down her face, "I'm begging you, do not leave me. I need you. I… I love you, Sesshomaru."

_Love? Yes, I've known that she's loved me for sometime now. And… I love her too. But this can't be. She is a human, and I, a demon. Being with her will endanger us both. What if an incident like today happened again, only Rin was killed? I could not bear that. _Despite knowing that he was being irrational, and trying to tell his body to stop, his feet had begun to move toward Rin. _Stop it. This can only lead to pain. She will die! Whether it is a demon that kills her, or illness, or old age, she will die._

_Even so, I want to be with her. I need you too, Rin._

Kneeling down in front of Rin, Sesshomaru extended his hand and stroked her face with a clawed finger. She lifted her glistening eyes so that they met his gaze. Then bending down further, he caressed her mouth gently and whispered, "I love you too, Rin."


End file.
